Find Lunch:

Lansdowne Road is a Fun Bar Near Port Authority (You Read That Right… A Fun Bar Near Port Authority!)

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so I thought maybe it was time to introduce a happy hour column to the site. Every week, our Happy Hour Correspondent posts about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap.

Iced. Cold. Beer. That’s exactly what you’ll sip (or chug) on every time if you sit at the bar of Lansdowne Road. Oh, and built into the bar top is an ice rail for resting whichever of the 14 beers on their tap you decide to order…

Named after the famous IRFU stadium in Dublin, Lansdowne Road is a sports bar dedicated to satisfying most fans’ needs. The dozen flat screens covering its walls made it easy for us to watch the Yankees (side note: this is NOT my team) beat the Braves and the Devils lose the Stanley Cup simultaneously, while the pretty blonde bartender kept heart-broken hockey fans at bay.

Run by the same people behind the Pony Bar, it’s not surprising that Lansdowne Road is passionate about their beer. Every day features different beer as part of their Daily Double – a 16 ounce draft and a 12 ounce can or bottle of beer for $4. We went on Monday night when they featured Smuttynose, Brown Dog Ale, Oskar Blues and Dales Pale Ale and as you all know I like to indulge in gluttonous behavior, for their 50 cent wings (6 wing minimum).

Though inconveniently located in Hell’s Kitchen near Port Authority, Lansdowne Road draws a pleasant, sports and beer-loving crowd. Ladies, take note. This place is swarming with men – in suits, in tees, in jerseys and with dogs.

Guest comfort is key here. Long tables and benches and standard pub furniture keep large groups together; high ceilings and open windows keep it airy; and friendly (though very slow if you sit at the tables) service keeps you happy.

Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 5-7 pm and features half off ALL drinks, so drink up!

4 Comments

Except that, you know, beer isn’t supposed to be served ice cold. Cold? Sure, in most cases – but keep in mind that cold in this case means approximately 45-50 degrees. Some are supposed to be served warmer than that, either by style (barleywines are generally recommended at about… 55ish) or by serving method (cask ales are generally kept a little under room temperature). Ice cold beer numbs your taste buds and keeps you from tasting a lot of the different flavors in the beer.

I do like the ice-rail concept, though – assuming the beer was served at a decent temperature (cask ale should be cellar temp, which is 55-60 degrees, but I don’t think that’s an issue here), the ice rail will keep it from warming up too fast in a packed house.

Interesting post; I also prefer the not-as-packed house here over Pony in Hell’s Kitchen, if I am in that area. For the record, you named two beers (Smuttynose Old Brown Dog, OB Dale’s Pale), not four, in the daily double. The sentence reads like you’re talking about four. Did you partake of these or any other beer?

The beer connoisseur such as yourself will I’m sure still take advantage of the ice rail by placing the corresponding bottom of the glass surface area that matches the precise temperature of which the beer is to be consumed…fwiw cask ask would have maybe 25% of the glass on the rail while natty light should just be poured on the rail [probably to clean it]…happy friday everyone